The Dhampir Apocalypse
by English Elite Group
Summary: Not really an RPG, but, since there's no 'Bloodrayne' category... Rayne finds herself in the post apocalyptic United States with her new partner. The first of all vampires, though, has other plans for her. Can Rayne stop him before it's too late?
1. Encounter

**The Dhampir Apocalypse**

** By Tobias Glass **

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**Encounter**

The dhampir stood on the promontory, looking out over a barren, blasted landscape. The sky was pitch black, due to the huge clouds of ash that had risen when a giant meteor had hit the planet, killing thousands and crippling millions of others due to the fact that it had the extreme bad luck to hit a nuclear power plant. The dhampir sniffed; there was blood on the air tonight, innocent blood. She was going to find out who had caused it.

She paused momentarily, recalling how quickly the vampires and like creatures of the night had risen after the sun no longer warmed the Earth. Kagan, fortunately, had been dispatched a decade or two ago, so he had not been there to oversee the rise of his kind. His daughter, though, had seen it all. And it was not pretty.

"Come on Rayne, let's get down there," said her partner, Itsuke. Itsuke was a Japanese dhampir, risen hardly a year ago. Rayne had found him feeding on a dead man in what had once been an alley in New York. He had changed much since then, now a strong and cunning predator. Rayne had even gone so far as to retrieve the arm blades of her old mentor Mynce from the rubble of the New York Bank and Trust. He currently wore these proudly, seeming every bit the embodiment of Mynce in a male form.

"Yeah, let's go," Rayne said, and took a flying leap from the ridge. She twisted in midair and snagged the falling earth with her blades. These slowed her down enough so that when she hit the ground, she didn't even leave a scratch on her black stiletto heels.

Itsuke landed softly behind her. "Show off," he said, while at the same time giving Rayne a leer.

"I don't show off, I'm just really good," she replied smoothly. "Now where was it that the Brimstone Society said these head vamps are hiding?"

"There is rumored to be a nest of them in the very center of the town, and there are bound to be human servants around, so we'll have to be careful," Itsuke said, repeating the file on the town quite accurately.

"So it's the stealth approach, is it? We'd better get moving then." Without another word, she leapt onto the nearest building, a twelve-foot leap. She took off, laughing, and Itsuke followed suit, grinning cheekily back at her. They raced across the tops of the buildings, leaping from rooftop to rooftop, racing towards the center of the small town, a church with an imposing steeple on the top of it. The human servants of the vampires that held this town in their sway noticed nothing, except perhaps the ghost of a laugh as the pair of dhampir sped over them.

The church was boarded off and shuttered, battened down to make it inaccessible to ground penetration. Lot of good that did them, Rayne thought as she and Itsuke leapt onto the roof with hardly a noise. They climbed into the bell tower and slipped down the ladder to take a look. Itsuke watched as Rayne took a glimpse, and hopped down nimbly. He followed her and saw two guards near the two doors into the room. The guards looked off into the room beyond, and the two dhampir crept up behind them. They knocked them out with the blunt edges of their blades, and Rayne gave a nod to Itsuke. He bent down and grabbed some guns. They heard a slow clapping behind them. The pair whirled around.

An ageing Vampire stood behind them, his gnarled hands clapping together with a regular beat that was almost hypnotic.

We won't fall for your tricks, you old bastard," Rayne said. "Our powers are too great for that."

"Do not try to fool me, _dhampir_. I know what you are. I also know that you are the one who defeated the great Beliar. I am here to offer you a deal. Join me, and you will gain access to untold power. You could be invincible, if only you choose the right side."

"I won't fall for that either. And I _am_ pretty much invincible, thanks. My father can attest to that," she said coolly to the ancient Vampire. He gave a wheezy chuckle.

"But of course, my lady," said the old man, bowing. As he straightened up, his shape blurred, and he grew taller and thinner. Before Rayne stood Kagan, the father she had killed over a century ago.

"You—" Rayne began, but her voice had caught in her throat. What was this? She had killed him personally. But there was no mistaking that calm, slightly wrinkled visage. This was indeed Kagan.

"And how are we today, my beautiful death," said Kagan, removing his elegant, eighteenth century-style hat and sweeping in a graceful bow. He looked up, and the wizened old vampire stood here again. Rayne's stomach clenched into a cold knot of fear.

"Who the fuck _are_ you?" she demanded. "What are you doing here?"

Rayne! Get back!" shouted Itsuke, but it was too late. The old vampire let loose a blast of energy, and sent Rayne stumbling backwards. Itsuke flicked his arm blades out, and ran towards the vampire, but he, too was sent reeling from the concussion of dark energy that slammed itself into him. He flew backwards, into a wall.

Rayne was on her feet in a split second, blades swinging out for a defensive maneuver, but the old vampire merely chuckled. He turned and walked away, fading into thin air.

"Rayne, what the FUCK was that?" Itsuke demanded, clearly shaken.

"I don't know," said Rayne. "I 'm sure he was a vampire, but he was like nothing I've ever seen before. Either he's also a sorcerer, or…" she trailed off, sounding unsettled. "The oldest and most powerful vamp I've ever gone up against was my father, Kagan. He was four or five hundred years old when I killed him. But this one, he must be _ancient_ to be so powerful. I can't imagine how long he's been around for."

"So we're going to go after this bad boy, right?" Itsuke asked.

"I don't know," Rayne said. "It all depends upon what we can find out about him, and how far away he is. What we need is something to track him with."

"A wolf?" asked Itsuke.

"No, something more, maybe…"


	2. Jackal

**The Dhampir Apocalypse**

**By Tobias Glass **

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Jackal

Rayne stood with Itsuke in an old and crumbling cathedral in the remains of New York City. The building now served as a secret outpost of the Brimstone Society. Rayne was discussing their encounter with another member.

"And then he just _threw_ us, but it was like he wasn't even trying. Then he turned and started to walk off, but he just sort of faded out of sight," she finished.

The other girl, a petite twenty year old with flowing brown curls named Vanata, paled. "He just… dissolved? Like he was a ghost?"

"Exactly! Do you know who he is?" Rayne asked.

In answer, Vanata walked off down one of the book-lined corridors. She paused for a moment to remove a heavy, leather-bound tome. She came back to Rayne and Itsuke and placed the book in front of them. She flipped through a few pages, and turned the book to face them. "Is this the man you saw?" she asked.

The page showed a picture of the exact person they had fought and lost against. "Yes, that's him. How did you know?"

"Look underneath the picture," said Vanata.

"'Jackal, the founder and apparent first of all vampires,'" read Rayne. " Well that's just fucking lovely. We went up against the first of all vampires, and got the shit kicked out of us."

"But the text also says that he hasn't been seen since around the time of the Renaissance, when he apparently fled from the prosperity of humankind."

"Well that makes sense," said Itsuke. "Now that the world is completely night, of course he'd come out of hiding and ensure the uprising of his kind."

"Yes, and the full vampires can sense him. They know he's coming, and that's why there's been such a reappearance of vampires around the world. They know he's gathering his power, and they want to make the world into a kingdom of vampires, where humans are mere cattle," finished Vanata disgustedly. "It says here in the book that that has always been his eventual plan, but we can't let that happen. We just can't."

"Then we'll have to find him. We got this when we fought him," said Itsuke, holding up Jackal's cloak. "We need something to track him, though."

"I have an idea," said Vanata. "Follow me, but be careful," she added. The two dhampir followed the small human girl down a flight of stairs, to the basement of the church. There were cages here, sometimes empty, sometimes containing strange and unusual creatures. Vanata led the way to the very end of the basement, where there was a large door, covered with another door of silver bars. Vanata unlocked this, and unlocked the wooden door. Itsuke let his blades fall with a quiet _snick_.

"There's no need to worry," Vanata said. "The occupant here is only a danger to himself on occasion. That's why these bars are here." She smiled, and, not altogether reassured, Rayne and Itsuke smiled back.

Vanata opened the door, and both dhampir were shocked by what they saw. The high-ceilinged room beyond was striking. It was what architecture would have been if the Apocalypse hadn't occurred. The softened edges and bright white surfaces were pleasing, but almost too bright. They walked in cautiously, half expecting the voice that greeted them. "Can I help you?"

"Yes, Thomas. We need to find a trail left by an Ancient One." Vanata turned to the two dhampir. "This is Thomas. He's a vampire, but of a special sort. His type was bred to follow the scent of other vampires. He's only dangerous if you let him feed from a human. He keeps bags of blood for that reason. Thomas, This is Rayne, and her partner Itsuke."

"Pleased to meet you," said Thomas. He was tall, with auburn hair that flowed down his shoulders, and his face had a refined look to it, though his piercing green eyes said that he was no half-wit. His voice had a British lilt to it, with traces of a Scottish accent woven in here and there. "I hope we'll be going out. I would so like to smell the fresh air for a change."

"Oh, You'll get plenty of that," said Rayne, grinning. "Have you ever heard of Jackal?"

Thomas's face paled. "I've only ever heard of him. I never thought I'd track him though. I don't know about this…" he turned to Vanata. "Do you agree with them? Do you think that we should go after the Supreme Master of vampire-kind?"

"All I know is that it has to be done to save the human world from a cruel and bloody fate," said Vanata. "That's good enough for me."

"Besides, if Jackal makes the world a vampire-run place, then there wouldn't be enough food to sustain all the vampires that would be created," said Itsuke. "Sure you could stake them after each meal, but many would get careless with their food. There would be too many vampires for the humans to support."

"You have a point there," said Thomas. I'll go get ready."


	3. Doubt

**The Dhampir Apocalypse**

**By Tobias Glass **

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Doubt

The vampire hunter came back dressed in a black leather trench coat over a black shirt and pants with matching sunglasses. He had a small leather bag with him, presumably with blood bags in it. He led the way upstairs, past rows of dusty books and startled members of the Society. Rayne, Itsuke, and Vanata followed him. He stood in the doorway of the church and breathed deeply, scent flowing to him like water to a falls. He looked around at the formerly glorious city, and sighed.

"You know I was unconscious when they brought me here? I had spoiled a mission for Brimstone, and was feeling worthless. So I went on a feeding spree. The only way they stopped me was by dumping water on me until I passed out from pain." Thomas smiled humorlessly, bitterly. "I was brought to my rooms below and regained strength. I still feel guilty about all the lives I took. I think, though, that you can help me atone. I will help you on your quest."

Rayne came up to him and put a hand on his shoulder. "Thank you. I hope that you can find whatever it is that you need with us. But right now we need to get going. A lot of vampires still sleep during the day, out of habit, and we need to find some wheels."

"I know just the place for that," Vanata interjected. "There's a Porsche dealership just down the street. Nobody's broken into it yet. I guess most people still have morals. For now, anyways," she added.

"I used to work at a car dealership," Itsuke volunteered. "I know where they usually keep the keys and stuff I could go get the car for you. Which kind do you want?"

They settled for a Porsche Cayenne. Its all wheel drive, Itsuke reasoned, would be a good thing to have, just in case. Thomas went with him, to "Get a feel for living again".

"Is this really a good idea?" Rayne asked Vanata when the men had left. "I mean, what if, in killing the master, we accidentally kill _all_ of the vampires?"

"You need to push away all doubts, Rayne. Focus on the task at hand. Worry about that when the time comes for it," said Vanata, showing wisdom beyond her years. "You need all of your wits about you to track Jackal down, first of all. Burn that bridge when you get to it."

Rayne was heartened by the girl's words. "You're right. I'll worry about it when I have my blade pressed against his throat. Thank you Vanata."

"Eh, don't mention it," the girl replied. She knew, though, that Rayne would be dedicated to the task. And that was what she needed. "Good bye. And good luck, Agent BloodRayne," she said solemnly.

Rayne smiled at her, and saluted Vanata with one of her blades.

A horn beeped, and Itsuke and Thomas turned onto their street. Rayne sauntered over to the car, and got in, never looking back. Never.


	4. Commencement

**The Dhampir Apocalypse**

**By Tobias Glass **

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Commencement

The ride out of NYC proved fairly uneventful, due to the fact that the streets were devoid of any living thing (or nonliving thing, for that matter). Rayne stroked the soft leather armrest. The Porsche was loaded, leather, DVD, navigation, the works. It also had a turbo; another reason Itsuke had chosen it. Itsuke sat in the back, watching a DVD that he and Thomas had thought to snag from a nearby WalMart. Rayne wasn't into comedy films, and she wanted to talk with Thomas anyways. She knew how bad it was to feel alone in a crowd. So she talked with him about the past. She tried to reveal as little about her past as possible, and talked about him, for the most part.

"I was twenty four when I was taken," he began. "I've always had acute senses, and I think that's why the one who made me had me taken. I was trained to be able to track my own kind and… kill them." He looked away for a moment. "But there was something I guess they hadn't seen before. I gloried in feeding. I couldn't control myself, the thrill of the hunt, I guess. I've never felt anything like it."

"How… awful," Rayne said softly. She knew the feeling. Whenever she fed, there was always a small part of her that wanted to let go, and just glut herself on blood. She couldn't imagine what it would be like to be unable to say no to that feeling. She shuddered and looked out at the city. The buildings had thinned out, and there were more houses. They would be crossing a bridge to the mainland shortly.

"How are you going to get across to the mainland?" she asked Thomas. "Going over the water will kill you."

Thomas leaned over and rummaged through the leather bag near Rayne's feet. He pulled out a small drawstring pouch and showed her. "See? This is some of my grave dirt. I've found that if I swallow some, disgusting as it is, I can cross water safely."

"Bet that was handy back in your hunting days," said Rayne. "A dhampir doesn't have to worry about that." She smirked at him.

"Yeah, yeah, rub it in why don't you," he said playfully.


	5. Assassin

**The Dhampir Apocalypse**

**By Tobias Glass **

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Assassin

The bridge was narrower than most, and the three comrades were wary as they crossed it. Unfortunately, there was a guard post, and a guard planted himself firmly in the middle of the road. Thomas had no choice but to stop and see what he wanted.

The guard came up to the driver's window. Itsuke quietly shut the DVD player with a soft _snap_. The guard took a look at the two dhampir, with their blades at their sides. "Could you please step out of the vehicle?" he asked, though it sounded rather like a command.

Thomas took a hand off the wheel. The two dhampir could see that the nails there had lengthened to sharp, jagged claws. With a quick thrust, He put them through the throat of the officer. Blood dribbled out of the ragged wound as the corpse fell to the ground. It began to smoke and shrivel as Thomas put up the window and put the pedal to the floor. The engine roared, and the turbo kicked in, pushing the three back in their seats for a moment.

"How did you know he was a vampire?" Rayne asked as they sped along.

"I told you, I can smell a vampire, especially one that's trying to cover something up," he said. Then he slowed down.

"Hey! What are you doing? There might be more there!" Itsuke exclaimed as Thomas put the car in park and shut off the engine.

"Exactly. They'll be upset about their comrade, and we need to make sure that they don't take out their anger on anyone nearby," Thomas explained. He had a point, thought Rayne. So the three went back to the guard station and cautiously pushed open the door. Four guards lay on the floor, puncture wounds in their necks, and ashen faces, faces that showed that the men had died with terrified looks on them. They were in only their undergarments.

"They were sent here to stop us," Rayne murmured. "They were going to stop us and make it look like they were normal people. Those sick fucks."

"Very good, dhampir. Let's see what else you've got," said a voice behind them. The three whirled around and saw three vampires. They were dressed in the guards' uniforms, and had blood all down their fronts. With a gesture from the leader, the other two spread out, and each took one of the trio to fight.

Rayne's opponent had filthy, matted hair, and eyes that glowed like the coals in a smoldering fire. He hissed, and bared his fangs. Rayne returned the gesture and took a swipe at him. He jumped back. He wasn't quite quick enough though. Rayne nicked his face with the end of her blade, removing the end of the creature's nose. With a screech, the vampire attacked, a whirling mass of talons and fangs. Rayne stepped back, and threw a kick to the vampire's head, catching it in the temple. The sharp heels of her boot tore a hole in the thing's cheek, but it hissed again and kept coming, driving her back. She managed to drive a blade into its arm, pinning the undead monster to the ground. Quickly, while she had the advantage, Rayne dispatched the creature with a removal of the head. She stood up, blood rage still going strong, and looked over at the other two, who were having problems of their own.

Itsuke had the smallest vampire, but it was still outmaneuvering him. He was being pushed slowly back towards a wall, where the vamp would go in for the kill. Rayne dashed over to him, and, while the vampire advanced on Itsuke, stabbed at its back. Her aim was just right. She split the thing's heart in two, and, lifting it up off the ground, threw it away from her.

Thomas was holding his own against the head vampire, who seemed to have quite a bit of strength. Rayne guessed that he was at least a century old, but little more than a servant to a higher vampire. Still, it fought with a vigor that Thomas, a three hundred year old vampire, had to struggle to keep up with. He threw it off of him when it tried to bite him in the neck, but caught the upswing of the vamp's blade. His arm spewed blood, as the sharp, dirty steel tore a jagged line up it. Rayne jumped in, and sent a rebound kick at the thing's head. It turned on her, and, faster than her eyes could follow, it struck her in the side of the head.

Seeing stars, Rayne fell to the ground. The vampire jumped and tried to land on top of her, but Rayne held out her blades, and the beast was impaled on the razor-sharp blades, held up by the shoulders. It gave a hiss of agony, but before it could roll off of the blades, Thomas slid a thin stiletto into the back of the vampire's neck. It went limp immediately. Before it had a chance to heal, Thomas took a stiletto with a wooden blade and shoved it in between the vamp's ribs. It made a choking, gurgling sound, and lay still, its eyes going glassy and blank.

Itsuke helped Rayne to her feet and Thomas took a digital camera out of his pocket. While the two dhampir looked on, he snapped a picture of each vamp's face. Putting the camera away, he slid a lighter out of another pocket. He bent down and lit the vampire corpses on fire, grimacing as the acrid smoke hit his nose.

"It's easier to identify the ones I've killed through a photo than dental records and a pair of fangs," he explained simply, straightening up. He sauntered off towards the car. Rayne and Itsuke exchanged a look and followed him.


	6. Questions

**The Dhampir Apocalypse**

**Tobias Glass

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Questions

The two dhampir slid into the SUV in silence, and their tracker companion did the same. They were all silent, wrapped in their own thoughts. Each tore the skirmish apart in their minds, albeit with different levels of observation. For example, Rayne noticed that Thomas didn't fight like any other vampire she had ever seen. He fought with a sweeping sort of elegant grace, natural and more fluid than she had thought anyone could have. _Is Thomas also more instinctively drawn to the fight than other vamps? _she wondered. _What would happen if he became a liability to them? Would hers and Itsuke's strength be enough to stop him?_

Itsuke saw a skilled fighter as well, but he also saw in Thomas a mentor, someone who could teach him how to fight better, how to help Rayne defeat Jackal, and save the human race from a bloody vampire dawn.

Thomas saw two dhampir who, though not as skilled in battle as him, were worthy and formidable allies. He was glad that they were on his side. Though neither of them recognized it, they wielded great strength together. He saw this, and made a mental note to hone their strengths, so that they could prepare for the upcoming battle. He knew that it would be a great one, one that many would remember, human and vampire.

The turbo of the car kicked in with a quiet whine, and Thomas looked down. He was doing seventy. He cursed inwardly, and slowed down. He hadn't noticed that they were going that fast.

"Penny for your thoughts?" Rayne said in a manner that managed to seem sexy and calculating at the same time.

"You'd get a raw deal on that one," Thomas cracked; the atmosphere of tension dissipated palpably, though you still could have cut it with a knife. Itsuke laughed, and Rayne smiled as she opened a paperback that Itsuke had thoughtfully included in his Walmart raid. She settled back into the leather seat and lost herself in another world, a world where people were predictable, and the good guy always won.


	7. Wanderlust

**The Dhampir Apocalypse**

**By Tobias Glass**

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**Wanderlust**

The three took the highway, following Thomas' instincts as to where Jackal was. All vampires could sense their leader somewhat, but the powerful auras of other vampires occasionally misled Thomas. They dispatched these vampires wherever they found them. With each kill, the two dhampir grew a little stronger, a little more aware of the power the possessed together. They had gotten to the point where they could subconsciously direct this power, though they had no idea that they were doing it.

One night, the two dhampir sat in front of a campfire. They had killed a dozen or so vampires now, of various strengths. Their last one had been the strongest yet, and they had barely defeated him. If it had not been for Thomas, Rayne mused to herself, they would have been defeated long ago. Lately though, she was aware of something else. Some other… _power_ was manifesting itself when they battled these creatures of the darkness. An energy of destructive might had momentarily stunned their enemy, giving Thomas just enough time to take off the vamp's head. It had gone spinning off the creature's neck, and had caught fire the moment it settled on the ground. Thomas had hastily snapped a picture of the thing before the fire, which had a strange, bloody glow to it, had completely consumed it.

They sat, warming themselves, when a rustle in the woods tore them from their separate thoughts. Rayne was instantly on guard, her senses on full alert for anything unusual. She had her blades flicked open and crouched into a defensive position before Itsuke had his blades open. A soft chuckle met their ears, setting their hair on end. A scarlet pair of eyes materialized in front of them, followed by Thomas, stepping out of the shadows. "Did I fool you?" he asked, chuckling again.

"You scared the shit out of us! Don't _do_ that!" Itsuke exclaimed. Thomas laughed again, though it sounded different this time. Sinister, more… _evil_ somehow.

Rayne said cautiously, "I thought you were asleep in the car. Is everything all right, Thomas? You… Don't look well." And he didn't. His face had a hollowness she had never seen before.

"I'm fine, Rayne," He replied. He went over to the Porsche, which was parked nearby, and opened the tailgate. He seemed to be searching for something. _Better keep an eye on him_, Rayne decided.

She watched him out of the corner of her eye. He was rummaging through the leather bag he had brought with him, as though he couldn't find something. _That must be it_, Rayne thought. _He can't find his camera_. She turned her attention back to Itsuke, with whom she started talking.

This proved to be a mistake. Thomas crept up slowly behind her, noiselessly. He had a garroting wire in his hands, and an evil look of suppressed triumph on his face. "Look out, Rayne!" Itsuke cried.

Without thinking, Rayne did a flip and brought her blade down where Thomas' head was, though it vanished, to reappear three feet away from her. He laughed, and it had that edge of coldness she had noticed earlier. "So how are my little bastard dhampir doing, hmm?" he said, his voice holding a steely bite to it.

Rayne gasped. Jackal! Itsuke bared his fangs and hissed. Jackal laughed, and his outline blurred again as he resumed his form, the shriveled old man once more. He threw the garroting wire to the ground, and took a black weapon from his belt. It appeared to be a staff, but with runes carved into it. The runes glowed as he pointed it at the two, a strange crimson glow adding to the dementia of the vampire's haggard face. "Die!" he hissed cruelly.

Rayne let her blades fall and Itsuke drew his. Their blood rage was peaked, and hatred coursed through both of them. Without conscious thought, Rayne attacked, slashing viciously with her blades. Jackal's staff met her blades at each slice. Itsuke stood there, as if in thought for a second. Then, as if he'd reached a decision, he held his hands out in front of him, and a crackling blue light emanated from them. Jackal stared in shock.

Rayne took advantage of his momentary lapse to swing at him again. He blocked her again, but this time she cut through the staff. Jackal fell back, his expression of shock mingling with something else that Rayne recognized: fear.

The door to the Porsche opened and Thomas-- the _real_ Thomas-- tossed a stiletto at Jackal. It pierced his hand, making the shriveled old man scream. His shape blurred again and he took the form of another old man, this one small and clever-looking, although his face was twisted with sadness. "Thomas, how could you?" he moaned, and faded away. Thomas looked rattled as Rayne snapped her blades into place. Itsuke was looking at his hands in wonder.

Thomas looked at the place where Jackal had stood a moment ago with a look of utmost grief on his face. "What is it, Thomas?" Rayne asked, going over to him.

"That… that was my old mentor, Ashe. He taught me. He was my friend. We tried to escape from the cult of the Hunters together, but he was killed. I couldn't save him… I… failed," he said, burying his face in his hands.

Itsuke looked at Rayne helplessly. "It wasn't your fault, Thomas. The Hunters would have killed one of you. It was just chance that Marcellus decided on him," Rayne said.

Thomas looked up at her sharply. "How did you know that?" he asked. I've never told _anyone_ about that."

"I read your file," she answered simply. "The Brimstone Society does rather _thorough_ background checks on its members. You should read mine sometime; I've been told that it's quiet a compelling read." Her lips quirked up in a small smile.

She sauntered over to the car and pulled a tattered manila folder from the small pack that was in the back and tossed it to him. "I'm really not supposed to be showing you this, strictly speaking, but since when have I followed the rules? Besides, you might learn some things you didn't know about yourself in there."

Thomas looked up at her. _Every day I learn something new about this woman_, he thought. _I wonder what tomorrow holds_. He opened the file and started leafing through the ancient and decrepit documents.


	8. Journey

**The Dhampir Apocalypse**

**By Tobias Glass **

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**Journey**

The last leg of their journey took them to the edge of what had once been Washington, DC. This was a very populated area-- as far as vampires went. The place was seething with them. "How do they survive when there are so few humans around here?" Itsuke asked. They hadn't seen a single intact dwelling since they had crossed the former state line.

"They have herds of humans," Thomas answered, the disgust in his voice evident. "They're really just cattle, imprisoned in camps, where they are fed until they make a good-sized meal. They are bought and kept for a few years or until they die from the constant blood-loss. Some vampires even treat them like dogs, giving them kennels and pens to run around in. It's really quite disgusting."

Rayne shuddered at the thought, suddenly infuriated at the creatures that would do this to another intelligent species. This _had_ to be stopped. It was evil.

Jackal. Jackal was the root of this evil. They needed to concentrate on the removal of the leader, and the rest would follow. They had to stop him!

She sat in the soft leather seat seething. How dare they do this? They'd pay. All of them. Her mind wandered, imagining every little thing she wanted to do to those vampires in vivid detail. She'd rend them, limb by limb… she'd cut their hearts out and feed them to their brethren….

Rayne's thoughts continued in this vein for a while until they cleared the top of a large ridge that stood in their way. A fearsome sight met their eyes.

A blackened landscape stood before the travelers, flat and barren. There were small huts here and there, interspersed with thousands of metal enclosures, presumably the human-kennels that Thomas had spoken of. These were all set in a rough circle around a huge tower, atop of which was an enormous visage, wrinkled and aged. It was the face of Jackal, fangs bared.

All three felt themselves shudder involuntarily at this sight, and decided to camp out on the other side of the ridge that night.

That night, Thomas regaled them with stories and legends of vampires and dhampir. When he came to a particular one, however, he stopped and explained it. The legend he was telling them was about the combined power of dhampir, and the effect it had on their various powers.

"The Dhamogren, as it is called, is a power that results from two or more dhampir being in constant close contact, especially when fighting. They can think and react faster, and with a n almost combined subconscious intelligence," he said, looking solemnly at his companions.

"So you mean Itsuke and I can read each other's minds to a certain extent?" asked Rayne. "That's just fuckin' creepy." She grinned.

"Got that right," remarked Itsuke, who was stripping the bark off of a small twig nervously; he expected an attack any minute.

"Something like that," Thomas said with a small smile. There haven't been too many instances where this has happened though. The last time this happened was several hundred years ago to two called Mynce and Thanatos."

"Mynce? She was my mentor!" Rayne said with surprise. Never, in the short time that Rayne had worked with, her had she told Rayne about another dhampir.

"Yes," Thomas said nodding. "Thanatos taught Mynce everything he knew about fighting, magic, and cleverness; she was to be his star pupil. That went awry however, when they were attacked by an angry mob that burned their castle and killed Thanatos. Mynce escaped and joined the Brimstone Society as an agent. She was a renowned blade fighter, but she chose to wield her blades for good rather that for show."

"And was later murdered by Jurgen Wulf," finished Rayne. Thomas nodded and Itsuke looked at his blades in wonder. How had he ended up with the blades of a legendary fighter? Rayne said that they had belonged to her old mentor, but she had never really spoken of that mysterious figure.

A clap of thunder resounded, close enough to make even Thomas jump. A brilliant flash of lightning lit up the sky as all three reflexively flinched at the blinding light. Since the Apocalypse, thunderstorms like these were a danger to dhampir, and spelled certain death to vampires who couldn't get away quickly enough. The bright light was just as fatal to them as sunlight now, though it had never been that way before. Rayne jumped up and grabbed Thomas. "Get to the car!" she shouted. He covered himself fin his trench coat, as dirty raindrops began their descent from the sky. Thomas jumped into the car, whose privacy glass windows protected him a bit better than the open sky. He sat on the leather seat in the back, still covered up. "Are you okay?" Rayne asked him.

"Yeah, Just a little singed," came the reply from the vampire under the trench coat. Pass me one of my blood bags and I'll be fine." Itsuke handed the small red pouch to him, and it disappeared under the coat as another drum roll of thunder shook he car. A greedy sucking sound emanated from Thomas, who hadn't had a meal in a few days, and Rayne grimaced, looking away. With bad timing, a flash of lightning lit up the Porsche. Both dhampir hissed and threw up their arms to shield their faces. The light subsided, and they saw that the sprawling development was deserted, the vampires off to their shelters. They would be there for a while yet.

"I have an idea," said Itsuke softly. "Most vampires wait for an hour or so after a lightning storm hits, right?"

"Right," came Thomas's answer from the relative safety of his leather garment.

"Then that gives us an hour or so to get down in there and find what we need," Itsuke replied simply. "If we can be hidden in Jackal's tower by the time they emerge, then we've got enough time to find out where exactly Jackal _is_ in there, and get rid of him."

"He's got a point," Rayne added, nodding. "It'd give us plenty of time to plan our next move. Then we'd be one step ahead of that son-of-a-bitch. He wouldn't be so hard to defeat without all his weapons, would he?"

"It's not that easy," Thomas said, peering out at them through the bottom of his coat. "He knows where vampires are, just by breaking into their minds and looking through their eyes. He'd know where we were, and then he'd _definitely_ go for his weapons."

"He can't do that with dhampir, can he?" Itsuke asked. When Thomas shook his head, he continued. "Well, we just won't let him know where we are then. Thomas, do you think you could hack your way in after they come out of hiding? You're one of their kind; you'll pass." He and Rayne took to plotting the best way to break into the tower while the thunder rolled on….


	9. Infiltration

**The Dhampir Apocalypse**

**By Tobias Glass**

* * *

**Infiltration**

Itsuke and Rayne snuck down to where the huge chain-link fence around the perimeter was. Rayne took a deep breath and leapt over it, barely clearing its fifteen-foot height. Itsuke followed, a bit more effort showing on his face. They looked around furtively, to see if anyone had noticed two dhampir sneaking into vamp-central. No one had, so the duo crept stealthily through the streets, checking for the vampires who had made this settlement bustle with activity earlier. The creatures seemed to have no intention of getting blasted with lightning though, so they made their way to the first little house they saw. There was a chain-link fence enclosure where two humans, a man and woman, were huddled in a corner, haunted-looking eyes telling a tale of sorrow and tears. Rayne casually dragged a blade along the side of the fence, leaving a gash in it big enough for the humans inside to get out.

"Rayne," Itsuke hissed. "If you keep on doing that, the vamps are _bound_ to notice something's up. Let's just get going. Then we can stop Jackal from making this type of life universal." He gestured for her to follow him.

Rayne reluctantly looked at the two still huddling together in the furthest corner away from the dhampir "Fine." She said shortly. "When we come back through, though, these people _are _going to be freed."

Itsuke nodded and they continued frantically to search out a relatively safe hiding place from the vampires who would shortly tread the ground again.

After a few desperate minutes of searching, they realized that their time was growing short. The rain clouds were separating into the uniform dark-gray of the ash clouds, and they could sense the nearby minds of the vampires, hungry and impatient to get back to their routines. In a way, it almost reminded Rayne of humans. But, then again, she thought, as she sensed a surging hunger for blood, not entirely like humans.

"Rayne," Itsuke hissed, "I've found a place. Hurry up." But as Rayne hurried over to him, a creature shambled up behind her. It was human, or had once been, but the nuclear fallout from the meteor hitting the power plant had twisted it into something foul and unnatural. It stood as tall as Thomas, and had bloodshot eyes sunken into a face gone slack and crazed, searching constantly for flesh. It gurgled and extended its arms towards Rayne.

Without thinking, Rayne let her right blade fall, and spun in the air, lopping the thing's head off. It screeched for a second, and fell to the ground, a gout of blood splattering the wall of Jackal's tower. Rayne looked at Itsuke, whose mouth was hanging open slightly. "Fucker," she muttered, as she tasted some of the blood on her blade. It was bitter and had a strange taste to it.

Filing this bit of information away, she looked at the place that Itsuke had pointed out. It was a grate with a stream of grayish water nearly concealing the bottom, beneath which a narrow gap was visible. "Um, buddy, there's water here. Water tends to hurt, remember?" Rayne said.

"But it won't _kill_ us. So we've got the perfect place to get into the castle from. If we look for the place where the sewers go, we'll be in there for sure. And then it's just a matter of luck finding the place where Jackal's hiding." Itsuke said, as though it were the most logical thing in the world.

"I guess you're right," said Rayne, wrinkling her nose. "But it's the damn _sewers_. Why the hell can't we find somewhere better to sneak in?"

Since when have you been afraid to get dirty?" Itsuke teased. He knew just what buttons to push to get Rayne to go along with something.

"D'you know how hard it is to get leather to move the same after it's been soaked in water?" she muttered. She seemed to be in thought for a second, until they felt their vampire sense twitch. Their time was up! "The vamps are on the move again," Rayne said. She pushed her hair behind her ears and sighed. "Let's go then," she said, repeating the words that Mynce had said when she'd started her troubles with the Brimstone Society ages ago.

They could feel a vampire coming closer as they slid silently into the stream and swam under the grate, bodies burning and itching as they swam as quickly as possible to the other side of the tower wall, the impregnable fortress breached at last.


	10. Closer

**The Dhampir Apocalypse**

**By Tobias Glass**

* * *

**Closer**

The two dhampir surfaced inside the main sewer drain of Jackal's fortress, panting and in pain as they looked for a place to get out of the water that nibbled at their skin.

Rayne pointed out a small ledge in the corner of the small chamber, so they made a hasty swim for it. They climbed out of the sewer water and stood, sodden and odorous as they looked for the way out. There it was! A grating in the ceiling that was set into the floor above, Rayne shot her harpoon at it, and managed to wrestle the heavy iron thing out of the indentation in the upper floor it was set in. "Hold on!" she said, and Itsuke grabbed onto her tightly. She retracted the harpoon and they swung upward and outward, Rayne using the extra weight to propel them out of the hole.

They were in a holding cell, Itsuke saw, complete with weak-looking humans sitting in the corner. On the other side was… Thomas! He was bound to the wall with heavy manacles, though they had some sort of spikes in them so that he couldn't escape. "Go. It's a trap," he said weakly.

"Very good, my two little ones," a voice from the other side of the bars said. They whirled around, and there was Jackal. His eyes were sparkling maliciously as he watched them react with shock and hatred, though he mistook it for fear. "Run!" Rayne shouted, and they made a dash for the grating. Jackal raised a hand, and the heavy piece of iron slammed back into place with terrific force. It wedged into the hole so tightly, neither of them could get it out.

With an angry whirl, Rayne was there in front of Jackal with her blades through the bars and in front of his throat before he could step back. "Let. Us. Out, Fuckbag," she said with such deadly calm in her voice that everyone in the room knew there would be no refusing her. The humans in the corner gathered a little closer into their corner. Jackal, however, stepped calmly back from her blades. "Not until you learn some manners, you coarse little dhampir," he said, disgust in his voice. He turned to leave, and Rayne, out of sheer rage, shot her harpoon at him. He spun around and caught it in one hand without the slightest change in expression. Giving it a jerk, he yanked Rayne against the bars. She cried out, and he said, "Stay here and talk things over amongst yourselves. When you decide where your loyalties lie, I'll be just a shout away." With that, he trod quietly through the wall on the other side of the dungeon.

Rayne let out a roar of rage, and attacked the bars with a rebound kick. The titanium bars merely gave a sharp _clang_, and didn't budge. She slashed at it viciously with her blades, but they only left nicks on the gleaming surface. Panting, she turned around. Itsuke had gone over to Thomas to try and free him from his bonds. The two struggled with the tough manacles. Rayne sighed and went over to help them with their burden.

Taking the manacles off had been harder than expected, due to the fact that Thomas was weak. He had lost a lot of blood. The two dhampir worked furtively with their blades, and with a little help from the harpoon blade, they managed to lower him from the wall. He lay there for a few seconds while his wounds healed, and slowly leaned up against the wall, breathing heavily. "He needs blood," Rayne said quietly.

Itsuke looked around helplessly, looking for something one of them could pour their blood into to revive him. There was nothing to be found.

One of the humans came forward, clearly shaking. She was a young girl, with lank black hair and fearful brown eyes. "We-- we couldn't help but overhearing your plight, and thought we could help. I'm Carla. My companions are Wanda, Glen and Charlie." With each name she called out, the others nodded.

"Can one of you possibly help our friend here?" Itsuke asked plaintively. "He needs blood badly, but he can't drink it from the source. He needs a cup of some sort." One of the three other humans, Glen, produced a dirty-looking tin mug.

"We are the main course of the vampires that live here already, so we'll just give a bit of each of our own," Carla explained. They each reopened a small wound in their wrists, and poured it into the cup. When it was three-quarters of the way full, the cup was passed to Thomas, who drained it immediately. He licked his lips and sat up straighter, the four humans looking at him apprehensively. He smiled reassuringly at them, and stood up.

"Thank you, for giving me your lifeblood to help me survive this injury. How can I ever repay you?" His polite English/Scottish accent reassured them, and Carla smiled at him.

"Well, you can start by getting us the hell out of here!" she said, laughing softly. The other humans nodded and smiled nervously. She looked Thomas in the eyes, suddenly serious. "My friends and I _will_ die soon if we don't escape. We're just not strong enough to keep being drained over and over and still live. We need to get out. Will you help us?" She looked up at Thomas with pleading eyes.

Thomas grimaced. "If we can somehow get out of here ourselves, we can defeat Jackal and end this whole situation. We can end human slavery. But we need a way to get out of here first. That's where you came in," he said. "If you know your way around the fortress, then we can escape and kill that bugger Jackal once and for all."

"We will do whatever we can," replied Carla. "Now, let's see about getting out of here…"


	11. Escape

**The Dhampir Apocalypse**

**By Tobias Glass**

* * *

**Escape**

There had never been a stranger alliance. The humans were working alongside dhampir and vampire to take down the master of all vampires. Rayne grinned to herself, thinking about what Kagan might have thought.

"We've got a gap!" came the soft, feathery voice of Wanda. She and Glen had been working alongside Itsuke and Thomas trying to bend the bars of the grille wide enough for someone to fit through. Charlie, Carla and Rayne were looking for other ways out. Rayne was examining the lock on the cell door, trying to figure out a way to pick it. If she stuck her blade in, and wiggled a hairpin around just so, she could almost… "Got it!" she called softly over to the others. They all clustered around the creaking titanium of the barred doorway as Rayne pushed it open. She got ready to defend herself and her companions if need be, but, thanks to some extreme good luck, there wasn't a guard in sight as they crept quietly out of their cell and towards the door out of the dungeon.

The group followed a winding staircase up to the tip-top of the tower. They could see the dirty gray sky above as the emerged from under stone ceilings. Sure enough, Jackal was waiting for them there.

"How clever, Miss Rayne. I see you're quite the escapist," he said idly, twirling a black staff in his hands.

"You know, your whole plotting-our-every-move act is getting old, Jacky," Rayne said silkily. "I think it's time we taught the old dog some new tricks, don't you?" she added, looking at Thomas and Itsuke.

Jackal smirked at the nickname. "You are little more than an annoyance, nothing more. It entertains me to finish you off. I let you live simply because you are something to amuse me."

"That's gonna be your biggest mistake, you son-of-a-bitch," Rayne growled, feeling a sense of déjà vu. This guy had the same cocky attitude as Jurgen Wulf had all those years ago. She had never liked that sort of person, and in a vampire, her dislike was magnified sevenfold.

She and Itsuke clasped hands, and pointed their outside hands at Jackal, palm facing him. Their hands crackled with a blue-violet light that was sent towards the ancient vampire. He smirked, and deflected the lightning with his staff. He hadn't counted on it having a boomerang effect, however. It was the dhampiric duo's turn to smirk as he got a crackle of destructive energy right in the back, making him stumble, cursing. He pointed his staff at the three fighters, and they dodged it, running in separate directions, as a green flash sped towards them. They then converged again in front of Jackal, fighting with blade and sword.

Injured though he was, the first vampire was a formidable opponent. He fought with a vigor that the three could barely keep up with. Rayne slashed at him and he dodged nimbly, sending a strike at her and slashing at Thomas viciously as he avoided a swipe from Itsuke, and sent him into the wall with the force of his mind. Itsuke went flying and slid down the wall after leaving an indent in it. Jackal laughed. "One of your number is out of the fight. You can't possibly hope to defeat me now!"

"That's what you think," came a voice from behind him. With a leap from off of the wall and a slash at Jackal's back, Itsuke got in a good-sized mark on Jackal, adding to the burn mark from their dhamogren-lightning. This gave Rayne and Thomas the advantage they needed. Thomas threw a slew of stiletto blades at Jackal, making him cry out. Rayne sent a spinning kick across the face, and cut through his neck, severing his head. Itsuke grabbed a chair nearby, and ripped off one of its legs. Jackal's body was still crawling around, trying to find the still-screaming head. He impaled the body through the heart, where a fountain of blood shot up, spraying everything around.

Rayne and Thomas looked on as Itsuke stood up, covered and dripping blood. He had a haunted look in his eyes, the type of look that said volumes without a word. He then fell to the ground, the injury Jackal had inflicted taking its toll. The other two rushed over to him, and Rayne held the still spraying corpse of Jackal up to his face, much to the protest of the shouting head. Itsuke sucked greedily at the open wound. He seemed to grow stronger with every swallow of blood. She and Thomas exchanged a look.

Itsuke stopped feeding when the gouts of blood slowed, Jackal's final death taking place with a horrible cry from the head, which shuddered and was still. Itsuke opened his eyes and sat up, seeming more alive than Rayne had ever seen him. His eyes sparkled as he looked around. "Is it over?" he asked them. Thomas nodded, and Rayne looked at Thomas closer. She could see that he was hiding pain.

"What's wrong?" she asked.

"When Jackal died, I felt it, like some part of me was ripped away. I think it was his influence on my mind letting me go that I felt. It was… _unpleasant_, but I will survive."

"Well, we better do something with this," she said, nudging Jackal's head with her foot.

"It has to be burnt," Thomas said. "Or else it'll find some way back together. He can never truly die, though. He is the first true immortal." They all looked thoughtfully at the head.

"What the fuck!?" Rayne exclaimed. They all looked where she was looking. Jackal's body had vanished! "That son-of-a-bitch!" she said vehemently.

Thomas smiled wryly. "I kind of assumed something like that would happen. No matter though. As long as we have the head, he can never come back," he said sardonically. Rayne gave the head another ill-tempered kick. It rolled across the floor.

"Well, as long as we've got this thing…" she said, giving a little grin. She used the head like a hackey-sack, kicking it up into her outstretched hand. It sat there, oozing blood from its neck. The only thing that seemed alive about it were the eyes, glittering malevolently and clearly wishing them all a very painful death.

The trio descended the tower, Jackal's head in a bag, out to where the car was waiting. The humans followed, timidly at first, but they gradually grew bolder. They opened the tower's enormous front door to find all of the vampires from the settlement congregated there, brandishing all manner of weapons and glaring hatefully at the three. "Uh-oh," Rayne said. "Looks like we fight again."

THE END


End file.
